Trollstigen tour from Ålesund: 10 stops, panoramic drive

Walk across bridges over waterfalls, then climb to the hairpin bends

A seven-hour minibus tour from Ålesund to Trollstigen with ten stops, a live English-speaking guide and a local driver. The route climbs from sea level through Storfjorden, passes a 500-year-old farm, crosses bridges over a 180-meter waterfall, and ends at the eleven hairpin bends of Trollstigen road. Lunch bag included after three hours. The bus holds 16 passengers with panoramic windows.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time spent at each

1. Mount Aksla15m
2. Atlantic Sea Park1h 45m

Trollstigen panoramic drive highlights

• Drive 5 km to Mount Aksla viewpoint
• Walk 50 meters to viewpoint and toilet stop
• Watch drone video of Ålesund and Trollstigen on bus
• Drive 40 km, view Sjøholt Hotel from bus
• Drive 9 km to Kopparsteinen viewpoint
• Walk 10 meters to viewpoint
• Drive 23 km with fjord crossing to Geiranger
• Drive 27 km to waterfalls viewpoint
• Walk 50 meters to viewpoint and toilet stop
• Have lunch box after stop
• Drive 2 km to Øvstestølen old farm viewpoint
• Walk 40 meters to viewpoint
• Drive 13 km to highest point viewpoint
• Walk 10 meters to viewpoint
• Drive 3 km to Trollstigen viewpoint
• Walk 50-200 meters to viewpoint, souvenir and toilet stop
• Drive 4 km to bottom of Trollstigen viewpoint
• Walk 10 meters to viewpoint
• Drive 5 km to Trollstigen gjestegård
• Visit guest house and souvenir shop
• Enjoy included Norwegian Troll ice cream
• Drive 105 minutes back to Ålesund cruise ship harbor
• Toilet stop and end of tour

The experience

The tour leaves Ålesund and climbs first to Mount Aksla for a 360-degree view of the city, islands and fjords: the stairs here date to 1885. From there the route follows Storfjorden inland, stopping at Kokarsteinen for a view across the fjord to Ytste Skotet, a mountain farm inhabited since the Viking Age and now abandoned. At the fourth stop, the fjord splits into two branches: one leads toward Tafjord, the other toward Geiranger, where cruise ships pass. The depth of the water here matches the height of the mountains.

Stop five is a gorge where multiple waterfalls converge and flow under a bridge made of glass and rust-corroded iron: platforms and bridges cross the water at different heights, and the water sometimes splashes over the bridge when flow is high. After lunch in the bus, the route passes Øvstestølen, a mountain farm at 500 meters elevation with a house nearly 500 years old. At 863 meters, the highest point on the route has no trees and views across a landscape the operator describes as lunar. Trollstigen itself opens at stop eight: the road was opened by King Haakon VII in 1936 and winds through eleven hairpin bends with a radius of about ten meters each, passing under the 180-meter Stigfossen waterfall. From the base of Trollstigen at stop nine, the mountains shift color with sun and shadow. The final stop is Trollstigen guestehouse, where troll statues stand outside and included Norwegian troll ice cream waits inside.

The minibus is heated when passengers are out at stops, and the bus carries blankets, umbrellas for rainy stops, paper napkins, headache and allergy tablets, and glacier water and mineral water on tap. A 25-minute drone video of Ålesund and Trollstigen plays during the drive. Picture books of the sites circulate through the bus. The return to Ålesund takes 105 minutes.

What’s included

• Local English-speaking guide and driver.
• seven-hour minibus tour in a 16-seat luxury minibus with panoramic windows.
• lunch bag served after three hours.
• glacier water and mineral water.
• blankets and umbrellas at stops.
• 25-minute drone video of Ålesund and Trollstigen on the bus.
• picture books circulating through the bus.
• headache and allergy tablets.
• included Norwegian troll ice cream at Trollstigen guestehouse.
• heating in the bus during stops.
• city sightseeing of Ålesund before and after the Trollstigen route.

Before you book

Days and timesNext departure: 19 May 2027

AgesAdult (12 and older) · Child (4 to 11 years) · Infant (under 4): free

GroupUp to 16

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated 4 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortStroller-friendlyInfant seats availablePublic transport nearby

Operated by Royal Tur Reiser As

Is this one for you?The tour runs seven hours with ten stops and short walks at each one, so it suits travelers who want to see the major peaks and waterfalls without a full day of hiking or a car rental. The minibus pace lets you move through the landscape without driving yourself, and the panoramic windows mean you see the fjords and mountains from inside the bus as well as from the viewpoints.

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (4 to 11 years); Infant (under 4): free.

What is Trollstigen and why is it on this tour?

Trollstigen is a mountain road opened in 1936 that crawls along a mountainside with eleven hairpin bends, each with a radius of about ten meters, passing under a 180-meter waterfall called Stigfossen. It is one of Norway's most visited attractions and part of the Golden Route tourism product. The tour stops at the top of the bends and again at the base to show the full scale of the road and the waterfall.

How much walking is involved on this tour?

Most stops involve short walks: Mount Aksla is 50 meters to the viewpoint; Kokarsteinen is 10 meters; the waterfall gorge is 50 meters with bridges to cross; the old farm Øvstestølen is 40 meters; the highest point is 10 meters; Trollstigen itself ranges from 50 to 200 meters depending on which viewpoint you choose; the base of Trollstigen is 10 meters. One stop, Sjøholt Hotel, is viewed from the bus window with no walking.

What is included in the lunch bag?

The tour description calls it a Royal Tour Travel Lunch bag served in the bus after three hours, but the specific contents are not detailed. It is included in the tour price.

Does the bus have large windows for viewing?

Yes, the minibus has extra-large panoramic windows designed for the best views of the fjords, mountains and waterfalls along the route.

Is the guide fluent in English?

The tour includes a live guide in English and a local driver from Ålesund who narrates the highlights and tells the history of the sites.